Backups first, then better roads in and around UW campus

Patience and planning will be the keys to traveling through the campus area during the next several months. Major construction projects on Charter and West Johnson streets have already caused traffic backups and pedestrian headaches this spring, and the congestion is expected to worsen soon. Here is a summary of the roadwork:

Johnson Street west
Starting Monday, June 8, West Johnson Street will be closed to through traffic from Randall Avenue to Broom Street. The closure will continue through mid-October as crews reconstruct one of central Madison’s busiest thoroughfares. Traffic will be detoured to West Dayton Street, which will be converted to one-way eastbound for the duration of the project.

A lane will be created on the south side of West Dayton that will be exclusively for eastbound bicycles, buses and right turns. There will be a westbound bike lane on the north side of the street from Broom to Park Street. Westbound bikes will not be allowed on West Dayton between Park Street and Randall Avenue and will be required to turn off of Dayton onto Park Street.

Eastbound Madison Metro buses will begin following the posted detour route starting Monday, June 8. (Most buses will also be detoured off State Street due to utility construction at State and Johnson. Bus service will resume on the full length of State Street in mid-August.)

For detour information on specific routes and bus stops, see flyers on buses or visit http://www.mymetrobus.com.

Johnson Street east
From June 16 to Aug. 13, only one lane of traffic will be open on Johnson Street from Broom Street all the way to the Yahara River. The City of Madison Engineering Department warns that severe congestion is expected in that corridor during that period, and it is advising drivers to seek alternate routes.

Charter Street
The Charter Street utility project, which runs from just north of University Avenue to south of the railroad tracks near Computer Science, is expected to be completed by mid-June, weather permitting. Project manager Peter Heaslett says the traffic disruption that has been occurring there should fade away by the end of this month. The project involves the installation of primary electrical and telecommunications duct banks and manholes, as well as the replacement of an aging, undersized water pipe.

Chamberlin Hall
The Chamberlin Hall reconstruction project is not scheduled to be completed until September 2004. A construction fence has been installed on Charter Street to provide a safe location for semi-trucks hauling equipment and materials to the site to unload. Westbound buses that normally use Charter Street have been temporarily detoured along University Avenue to Babcock Drive.

Henry Mall
An electrical utility upgrade running from Henry Mall down University Avenue to Charter Street, north on Charter and west on Linden Drive later this summer should have a minimal effect on traffic in that area.

Lakeshore Path
The construction of the new crew house at the end of Babcock Drive later this summer will necessitate some re-routing of bicycle and foot traffic off the Lakeshore Path.